Posted on Dec 31, 2022
APOD: 2022 December 31 - Moon over Makemake
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Good afternoon, Rallypoint, and welcome to the December 31st New Years Eve edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "Moon over Makemake." Let's take a short trip back in time to March 29, 2005. Two days after Easter (March 27th), scientists at the Palomar Observatory concluded they had discovered a new dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, an orbital area around our Sun but outside the orbit of Neptune. The object was codenamed "Easter Bunny" while waiting for their discovery to be confirmed separately.
The official name Makemake (MAH-kay-MAH-kay) was assigned when discovery of the dwarf planet was formally announced in July 2005. For reference, Makemake is about 1/9th the size of Earth. To put that in perspective, if Earth was the size of a nickel, Makemake would be the size of a mustard seed.
If you think the name 'Makemake' sounds Polynesian, you'd be correct. The indigenous Rapa Nui (Easter Island) people are of Polynesian descent, and settled Easter Island in ~400AD. Their goddess of fertility was named Makemake.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spotted a 110-mile diameter moon orbiting Makemake in April 2015. Its official name is S/2015 (136472) 1, and it sports the nickname MK2. MK2's orbit is ~13,000 miles or so from Makemake, or bit more than 1/20th of the distance between Earth and our Moon. Using available data on color and size, today's APOD is an artist's perspective of a view from a Makemakean orbit back towards our own world.
The official name Makemake (MAH-kay-MAH-kay) was assigned when discovery of the dwarf planet was formally announced in July 2005. For reference, Makemake is about 1/9th the size of Earth. To put that in perspective, if Earth was the size of a nickel, Makemake would be the size of a mustard seed.
If you think the name 'Makemake' sounds Polynesian, you'd be correct. The indigenous Rapa Nui (Easter Island) people are of Polynesian descent, and settled Easter Island in ~400AD. Their goddess of fertility was named Makemake.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spotted a 110-mile diameter moon orbiting Makemake in April 2015. Its official name is S/2015 (136472) 1, and it sports the nickname MK2. MK2's orbit is ~13,000 miles or so from Makemake, or bit more than 1/20th of the distance between Earth and our Moon. Using available data on color and size, today's APOD is an artist's perspective of a view from a Makemakean orbit back towards our own world.
APOD: 2022 December 31 - Moon over Makemake
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
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The Small Faces - Lazy Sunday (1968)
Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Wi...
Thank you my space-exploration advocate friend and brother-in-Christ Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the Saturday, December 31, 2022 Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): Moon over Makemake
Image: Moon over Makemake; Illustration Credit: Alex H. Parker (Southwest Research Institute)
APOD "Explanation: Makemake (sounds like MAH-kay MAH-kay), second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nicknamed MK2, Makemake's moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1,300 times fainter than its parent body. Still, in 2016 it was spotted in Hubble Space Telescope observations intended to search for faint companions with the same technique used to find the small satellites of Pluto. Just as for Pluto and its satellites, further observations of Makemake and orbiting moon will measure the system's mass and density and allow a broader understanding of the distant worlds. About 160 kilometers (100 miles) across compared to Makemake's 1,400 kilometer diameter, MK2's relative size and contrast are shown in this artist's vision. An imagined scene of an unexplored frontier of the Solar System, it looks back from a spacecraft's vantage as the dim Sun shines along the Milky Way. Of course, the Sun is over 50 times farther from Makemake than it is from planet Earth.'
Small Faces, The - Lazy Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKJXtTLmy_s
FYI SPC Deb Root-White SPC (Join to see) SGT Mark Anderson
SGT Paul Russo Sgt (Join to see) ] PO1 William "Chip" NagelLTC Trent Klug Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MSgt James Parker PO1 Howard Barnes SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Gary C. SSgt Kelly D. SGT Mary G.Sgt John H.SSG Michael NollSSG Franklin BriantSGT Tiffanie G. PO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln
Image: Moon over Makemake; Illustration Credit: Alex H. Parker (Southwest Research Institute)
APOD "Explanation: Makemake (sounds like MAH-kay MAH-kay), second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nicknamed MK2, Makemake's moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1,300 times fainter than its parent body. Still, in 2016 it was spotted in Hubble Space Telescope observations intended to search for faint companions with the same technique used to find the small satellites of Pluto. Just as for Pluto and its satellites, further observations of Makemake and orbiting moon will measure the system's mass and density and allow a broader understanding of the distant worlds. About 160 kilometers (100 miles) across compared to Makemake's 1,400 kilometer diameter, MK2's relative size and contrast are shown in this artist's vision. An imagined scene of an unexplored frontier of the Solar System, it looks back from a spacecraft's vantage as the dim Sun shines along the Milky Way. Of course, the Sun is over 50 times farther from Makemake than it is from planet Earth.'
Small Faces, The - Lazy Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKJXtTLmy_s
FYI SPC Deb Root-White SPC (Join to see) SGT Mark Anderson
SGT Paul Russo Sgt (Join to see) ] PO1 William "Chip" NagelLTC Trent Klug Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MSgt James Parker PO1 Howard Barnes SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Gary C. SSgt Kelly D. SGT Mary G.Sgt John H.SSG Michael NollSSG Franklin BriantSGT Tiffanie G. PO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln
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LTC Stephen F.
The Heavens Declare The Glory of God
An illustration of God's Glory with His creation of Nebula and other awesome wonders in space. Awesome! This is an arrangement by Morten Lauridsen. This is ...
Image: Psalm 19:1 ESV 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.'
The Heavens Declare The Glory of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xrHAt3SDdA
FYI CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw MSG Darold R. CPO David R. D.SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell1SG Paul AyotteMSgt Dee Ann P.PV2 Scott MolletteSPC Bill Bailey1SG Patrick BurkeSSgt Stephen BramhamMSgt James Parker SSG William Jones SPC Michael Terrell SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D SGT Mary G. SPC Nancy Greene LTC (Join to see) LTC (Join to see) Maj William W. 'Bill' Price
The Heavens Declare The Glory of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xrHAt3SDdA
FYI CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw MSG Darold R. CPO David R. D.SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell1SG Paul AyotteMSgt Dee Ann P.PV2 Scott MolletteSPC Bill Bailey1SG Patrick BurkeSSgt Stephen BramhamMSgt James Parker SSG William Jones SPC Michael Terrell SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D SGT Mary G. SPC Nancy Greene LTC (Join to see) LTC (Join to see) Maj William W. 'Bill' Price
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Wow that is an interesting education post. Thank you Sir and so nice to see your fabulous posts again. For while I thought we ran out of planets!!!!!!
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